The Airbus Future Jet Trainer (AFJT) is an all-new, all-modern light-class jet-powered aircraft proposal being evolved by Airbus Spain. The type was originally drawn up to succeed an aging line of CASA C-101 "Aviojet" Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) currently employed by the Spanish Air Force but has now broadened in its market reach to serve most any European power seeking a modern AJT solution. While the Spanish Air Force eventually selected the Swiss-originated Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer for its standing requirement, the AFJT is still viewed as a tempting upgrade to those air services continuing to rely on such Cold War-era (1947-1991) types as the Dassault-Dornier "Alpha Jet" and BAe Systems "Hawk".
The AFJT program has been in active development since 2017 and would compare to contemporizes in the Boeing-Saab T-7A "Red Hawk" and the South Korean KAI T-50 "Golden Eagle" AJTs - the latter retaining a limited ability to carry air-dropped/air-launched stores.
Base on concept imagery, the proposed design includes tandem seating behind a slender nosecone assembly with each crewman housed under clear, wide-view canopies. Wing mainplanes are attached to wing root extensions and sport sweep back along the leading edges and clipped tips. The empennage is dominated by a single vertical fin with traditional low-mounted placement of the horizontal planes. At the base of the fin is the single exhaust port of the intended turbofan engine. A retractable tricycle undercarriage for ground-running is assumed as is an all-digital cockpit workspace and Fly-by-Wire (FbW) control scheme.
Engines at play currently (2020) include the Eurojet EJ200 (as used in the Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter) and the Safran M88 from Dassault. While only one powerplant would be fitted to the proposed airframe, the turbofan would be reheat-capable to better train upcoming airmen in the nuances of transonic flight. Aspiration for the unit would be through a twin-intake arrangement, the openings positioned to either side of the fuselage feeding the air-breathing engine installation.
As with other modern AJTs, it is more than likely that the AFJT would be given some sort of light attack capability to match well against competing types like the KAI T-50.
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